The present invention relates to the use of 1-chloro-2,2,2-trifluoroethyl difluoromethyl ether as a constituent of liquid compositions which are useful as release agents and cooling lubricants; to the use of these compositions as release agents and/or cooling lubricants; and to a process for their preparation.
In many industrial operations it is necessary to use auxiliaries by means of which the affinity between different materials, for example work piece and tool or molded article and mold, can be kept as low as possible. This is generally achieved, depending on the operation, by the use of release agents or cooling lubricants. Thus, release agents are needed in processes for preparing and processing plastics, foams, building materials, rubber articles, tires, metals, glasses, ceramic products and the like. Such process include production steps such as casting, molding, pressing and the like. As used herein, the term "release agents" refers to agents which form solid or liquid films which reduce the adhesion forces between two adjacent surfaces, that is to say which prevent adjacent surfaces from sticking together and thus are effective as release agents, peel agents or lubricants. Release agents may be solutions or dispersions of agents which exhibit a release action.
The cutting, separating or abrasive machining of metals, that is to say metal machining operations such as, for example, drilling, cutting, punching, milling, turning and grinding, are usually carried out in the presence of cooling lubricants. In addition to cooling and lubricating, these lubricants also serve to prevent welding between work piece and tool. Excessively rapid wear of the tools is additionally prevented.
According to K. Schardt, Kunststoffe, Vol. 72, P. 461-62 (1982) it is known to use silicones, metal soaps, waxes, fatty oils, synthetic polymers and inorganic substances as release agents. Solvents disclosed as useful in release agent compositions include liquid aliphatic hydrocarbons, halogenated hydrocarbons and water.
German Published Patent Application No. DE 3,335,870 describes the preparation of special wax derivatives having a lubricant and/or release action which can be included together with solvents in release agents or cooling lubricants. Suitable solvents include the chlorofluorohydrocarbons: trichloromonofluoromethane, 1,1,2-trichloro-1,2,2-trifluoroethane, 1,1,2,2-tetrachlorodifluoroethane, tetrachloromonofluoroethane and trichlorodifluoroethane.
Despite much past effort at developing useful release agents and cooling lubricants, there remains a need for improved release agents and improved cooling lubricants.